Released writer tweets about life in a Chinese prison

Siweiluozi’s
Blog, an anonymous blog that covers various Chinese legal issues and
current affairs, has translated a series of updates by Chinese writer Yang
Zili, who was arrested
in 2001 and later convicted
of subversion against the state for online articles. Released last year after
serving eight years, Yang joined Twitter
and has been describing his incarceration in a series of short posts.

Here’s an extract that displays Yang’s spirit during his
ordeal:

My interrogator asked me, “Why did you write this article?”
“That's the way I thought,” I answered. “Don't I have freedom of thought and
freedom of speech?” He answered: “As long as it’s in your mind, you have
freedom of thought. As soon as you speak, it becomes action!” Looking at it
this way, since the constitution says nothing about “freedom to breathe,” every
breath I take must be illegal.

Madeline Earp is senior researcher for CPJ’s Asia Program. She has studied Mandarin in China and Taiwan, and graduated with a master’s in East Asian studies from Harvard. Follow her on Twitter @cpjasia and Facebook @ CPJ Asia Desk.